


Match Met

by RandyWrites



Category: Birds of Prey (Comic), DCU (Comics)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-29 22:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20089537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandyWrites/pseuds/RandyWrites
Summary: request from my tumblr, quick snippet with snappy interactions. what more can i say?





	Match Met

She didn’t get injured. It simply wasn’t done.

Not when _matched_ against lesser heroes, and certainly not when _training_ those lesser heroes.

When Dinah Lance had approached her, under the guise of a truce and a promise, she hadn’t expected the bird to take so quickly to the regimen. Intense periods of fighting and ever shorter beats of rest. She expected the Canary to slip up in only a matter of time.

She certainly hadn’t expected her to gain the upperhand, turning Shiva’s own growing exhaustion against her.

She hissed out against the pain, blinding as it was, knowing the bone would be broken the moment before the hero had completed the move.

One slip, that was all it ever took.

“Oh god, are you okay?!” the Canary cried, and despite herself, Shiva felt something flare in her chest. She focused on her anger instead.

“Finish it,” she hissed out, “That’s the problem with you heroes. You hesitate when you need to end your enemies.”

She lunged for the former Leaguer, careless of her useless arm. She was ready to draw blood in turn.

Dinah sidestepped, a half-turn as she reached for the fighter’s arm and flipped her effortlessly over her shoulder. Shiva let out another breath, biting back the groan as the pain washed over her again.

“You need a cast,” Dinah said firmly, holding onto her one good arm while keeping her foot over Shiva’s throat. Not enough to keep her from breathing, in fact, it was a simple hold for Shiva to break. But she could see something in the Canary’s eyes.

Not pity. Not worry. 

Respect.

For her opponent, for this battle that they waged. An understanding that even with the injury, they were on uneven footing. This fight was still heavily in Shiva’s favor.

She let a small grunt go in agreement, nodding.

The hold turning into help, and they left the dojo for the kitchen to find an appropriate splint.

…

“I am not an invalid, Canary. I can take care of myself.” Her words were met with an infuriating eyebrow cock and smile. She could only continue to glare at the hero as she continued making the meal.

“More for me, then,” she shrugged, “Seems a shame to have to box up so many leftovers, though.”

Shiva poured her tea wordlessly, noting that Dinah hadn’t burned the leaves this time around.

That didn’t stop it from being incredibly bitter, but she drank regardless, sitting at the table and watching the hero out of the corner of her eye. 

They sat in relative silence during the meal, the canary enjoying the food for herself and the fighter waiting patiently for her turn to make her own without prying eyes watching her.

…

“Again,” she commanded, a smile growing on her face as the hero kicked the bag hard enough to rip its surface. Sand began piling at their feet, and Shiva stepped deftly around it.

“You’re still holding back, Canary.”

“And you’re sandy now, Sandra.”

In a blink, both women were grappling. In less than a second later, they were on the floor, Shiva having somehow pinned the Canary despite her still-healing arm. Though it pained her, she used the cast’s extra weight to keep the hero pinned by her throat.

“Would you like to try that again?” she asked, watching Dinah’s eyes as the gears seemed to turn over in her head.

A beat passed, tension thick in the air like a fog.

“If you would’ve told me how _touchy_ you were,” she smiled, “Maybe we could’ve cut all this _foreplay_ and gotten-”

Shiva pressed down against the hero’s throat, glaring down even harder.

“I don’t _play_, Canary. You would do well to remember that.”

Dinah only kept up her grin. “Could’ve fooled me.”

…

It’d been two days since. The villain avoiding the hero with a skill that reminded Dinah that despite her prowess as fighter, Shiva was first and foremost, an assassin. 

She was grateful for the break, but worried about the state of her teacher. Hurt pride because of the meaningless teasing could be the cost of her cutting this training short. Before her mission was complete, she needed to be sure of where Shiva stood.

She hadn’t expected certain emotions getting in the way of that mission.

She just hoped that it hadn’t cost her the mission.

…

The fifth day was when they fell back into routine, each carefully selecting to ignore what had transpired.

Shiva could feel the difference in the Canary’s moves now, no longer pulling her punches. Annoyance and anger all wrapped up in every throw and every kick. At the drop of a hat, she switched styles till they were once again grappling instead of hitting. This time, Shiva let Dinah try pinning her. 

“You have something to say,” she guessed, trying not to wince as her arm was jostled once more. “Say it.”

The Canary glared down at the woman before her, leaning in close as she held her gaze.

A breath, two. Angry blue eyes meeting with indifferent brown.

Then something shifted, and Dinah brought a blow that Shiva wouldn’t have stopped, even if she were so inclined.

Lips meeting in a rough, warm kiss. Only surprise painted the assassin’s features when the hero pulled away.

**Author's Note:**

> as always, i take requests through my tumblr (@dyketectivecomics) feel free to drop a pair + prompt anytime y'all! (provided I'm taking requests ofc haha)


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